Texans have new attitude after preseason win

In advance of Saturday night's preseason game at Denver, the Texans will practice three times with QB Peyton Manning and the Broncos this week.

Photo: Ed Andrieski, STF

DENVER - When a new coach has been preaching his philosophy and teaching his system to players, it's imperative to have success as soon as possible.

New coaches, including coordinators and position coaches, need their players to buy into what they've been selling since they were hired in January.

Players must believe in coaches just as coaches must believe in players. It's a two-way street.

Confidence comes from credibility. And credibility, like leadership and respect, must be earned.

No one would admit it publicly, but the Texans were feeling a strong sense of relief after the 32-7 preseason victory over Atlanta on Saturday. It came on the heels of a 32-0 loss at Arizona.

More Information

Texans update

Aug. 16: Texans 32,Falcons 7.

Preseason record: 1-1.

Saturday: at Denver, 8 p.m.

TV/radio: KTRK; 610 AM, 100.3 FM.

Read More

This week, coach Bill O'Brien and his assistants look smarter. Their players look like they know what they're doing.

"Any time you win, it's important," O'Brien said. "It's important for everybody in the organization, especially the players.

"It's been a tough camp. They've worked extremely hard. To know that all the work they've put in (for) 17 practices and finally to reap the rewards of a win, that's a good thing."

Especially for a team that hadn't won a game since the second week of last season, a team that lost its last 14 games to finish an NFL-worst 2-14.

Who cares if it's preseason? Old ugly is better than old nothing.

Winning solves plenty

"Whether it counts or it doesn't count in the standings, to me, it doesn't matter," O'Brien said. "When you represent the city of Houston and represent the Texans, you're going out every time to win."

And now the going gets tougher as the Texans prepare for the third preseason game against Denver, the defending AFC champion. The Texans and Broncos have joint practices three times this week before they play Saturday night.

Hosting Atlanta for two practices last week was the best thing for the Texans in the aftermath of their defeat at Arizona. It got their mind off their horrendous performance and forced them to focus on the Falcons.

Maybe it was the "Hard Knocks" cameras or just going against the Falcons, but the Texans were sharper Saturday night. And it showed on offense, defense and special teams.

"It'll be similar to Atlanta," O'Brien said about the practice format at Denver. "It'll be three tough days."

The Manning factor

Any time quarterback Peyton Manning is around, the excitement level is turned up.

"I told the team it's good to come out with a win," O'Brien said. "A lot of guys played well. We've got a lot of improvement to make, and it'll be good to go against a Super Bowl team with a Hall of Fame quarterback and excellent players on both sides of the ball. It'll be a challenge for us."

After the rigorous practices in the heat and humidity at Methodist Training Center, O'Brien sat a lot of his veteran starters against the Falcons.

It will be 10 to 15 degrees cooler - with little humidity - at Denver, but after three joint practices, he could take a similar approach to the game.

"Yes, we'll see how it goes this week," he said. "The first two practices are full pads as it's planned right now, so we'll get a ton of reps with our first group. We'll look at it toward the end of the week and decide at that point."

Help wanted

The Texans have been fortunate to avoid serious injuries. They've been evaluating players, including rookies, who are trying to win starting jobs as well as roster spots.

Practicing against the Broncos - as well as Saturday's game - gives them more opportunities to impress the coaches.

With a new staff and different styles, expect surprises when the 53-man roster is established.

And then expect more surprises as the Texans survey players waived by other teams and get the first shot at those they believe can help them win.

John McClain, a Waco native who graduated from Baylor in 1975, is in his 43rd year at the Houston Chronicle and his 40th covering the National Football League, including the Oilers and Texans. He worked for the Waco Tribune Herald from 1973-76, when he accepted a job with the Chronicle. to cover the original Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.

McClain has a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as the 2006 winner of the Dick McCann Memorial Award presented annually by the Pro Football Writers of America to a writer for his long and distinguished coverage of the NFL. He is past president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Committee and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

In 2015, he was named as a Gridiron Legend in Texas, becoming the third member of the media behind Dave Campbell and Mickey Herskowitz.

McClain can be heard six times a week on the Texans' flagship station Sports Radio 610 in Houston. He also does weekly sports talk shows in Nashville, Knoxville, Waco, Austin and San Antonio.

McClain also has appeared in eight movies: The Rookie, The Longest Yard, Spring Breakers, Secretariat, Invincible, Cook County, The Game Plan and Make It Rain.

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